"When Freddie Gray died, a group of us got together with the community to see what could be done, because this was a tipping point in Baltimore and it had gripped the nation," Billy Murphy told Phil Yacuboski after the consent decree was signed at City Hall. "We look forward to reading the consent decree to see whether it meets with our requirements."

The agreement between the city and the Department of Justice requires police to change how stops, searches, arrests and conflicts are handled. It requires police to ensure detainees are transported in a safe manner, that sexual assaults are investigated thoroughly and that police establish a community oversight task force.

Gray died in April 2015 of injuries suffered while in a police transport van. His death was followed by protests across the city and rioting in parts of West Baltimore. State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby charged six city officers, but two were acquitted by a city judge, after which point charges were dropped against the remaining officers. The jury trial for one ended in a mistrial.

The city reached a $6.4 million settlement with Gray's family in September of 2015. Then-mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the settlement was offered to avoid months of costly litigation. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice conducted the investigation that led to a scathing August report on the Baltimore Police Department and the subsequent consent decree agreed to Thursday.

"Make no mistake about it: today is a revolution in policing in Baltimore that we hope will be remembered, specifically this day, for years to come," Murphy said. "A sea change is what we want. We hope that the decree provides that."

Hassan Murphy, Billy Murphy's son and a partner in his law firm Murphy, Falcon and Murphy, said they've spoken with Gray's parents about the consent decree.

"They were gratified to know that at least something major would come from their child's death," he said.